The Dungeons & The Dragons

D&D4E NPC Update

Huzzah!

Yesterday and today, I completed the encounters info, and added the final bits, and now the D&D4E New Player Course is ready to go!

Mark your calendars: the first session is scheduled for 2 Jan 2014 1900 (7 p.m. CDT), and will be streamed live at the Gamer_Jim channel. Tune in and watch some folks start their adventure into the world of D&D4E for the very first time. Let's roll 'em!

Announcing: RPDM's Souls in Chaos Campaign

RPDM is getting back into the DMing biz!

I’m currently building a D&D4E campaign titled Souls in Chaos, set in a modified Nentir Vale / Chaos Scar hybrid realm. The campaign is currently scheduled to start on 1 March 2014. Along with the Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition New Player Course (D&D4E NPC), this will be the second D&D project I’ll be initiating next year.

Also, much like the D&D4E NPC, I’m putting the LFP call out here on my blog. I’m looking for four (4) players interested in a long-term commitment to the campaign. Following are the details I have in place so far. NOTE: details are subject to change.

Campaign: Souls in Chaos

Ruleset: D&D4E, with DM adaptations and improvisations.

Realm: Nerath, in a Nentir Vale / Chaos Scar hybrid region.

Campaign map, courtesy of D&D Retro Crawl

Major populated locations:

• Hammerfast
• Thunderspire Mountain
• Fallcrest
• Harkenwold
• Winterhaven
• Restwell Keep
• Crossroads (?)

Toolset: Roll20; RPG SceneShots; sessions will be streamed live on my Gamer_Jim channel.

Playstyle: Balance of RP, combat, and non-combat encounters.

Session Dates: TBA

Allowed Races

• Human
• Dragonborn
• Drow
• Duegar
• Dwarf
• Eladrin
• Elf
• Gnome
• Half-Elf
• Halfling
• Half-Orc
• Mul
• Orc
• Tiefling
• Tinker Gnome

Unallowed Classes

Most everything related to Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Dark Sun, and Neverwinter settings; anything related to the Heroes of Shadow, Heroes of the Feywild, and Heroes of the Elemental Chaos guides.

• Artificer
• Assassin (Executioner)
• Barbarian (Berserker)
• Bard (Skald)
• Hybrid
• Paladin (Blackguard)
• Sorcerer (Elementalist)
• Swordmage
• Wizard (Bladesinger)
• Wizard (Sha’ir)
• Wizard (Witch)
• Vampire

Unallowed Backgrounds, Themes, & Builds

Most everything related to Forgotten Realms, Eberron, Dark Sun, and Neverwinter settings; anything related to the Heroes of Shadow, Heroes of the Feywild, and Heroes of the Elemental Chaos guides.

Character Ability Scores Roll Method (to be voted on by players)

• Assign Array (16,16,12,11,11,8)
• Point Buy (20 points)
• Dice Roll 4d6 (best 3 rolls)

Character Additions:

Characters will have the choice of a pre-adventurer profession, based on the Adventurer's Option - Trades and Professions supplement, with DM adaptations.

If you are looking for a D&D4E campaign to join, please send an email to RoleplayingDungeonMaster@gmail with “I Am A Soul in Chaos” in the Subject line, and with your Twitch name in the body (if you have one). Also, tell me the best open times during the week when you are available for approx. 5-6 hours at a stretch. Feel free to add a short history of your D&D experience.

Keep an eye on this blog and post for new info to be added as 1 March rolls closer. Leave your comments and questions below and I’ll address them concurrently.

Let’s roll ‘em!

Announcing: The Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition New Player Course

When I launched my TwitchTV channel this past July, I quickly found out that D&D was a major source of streams playing, and I was glad for it. Since then, I've spent many hours being entertained viewing adventuring groups playing this great game.

I also noticed something else while watching: there were (and are) a LOT of people who have never played D&D, and are eagerly seeking where and how to learn. Then, the idea for the The Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition New Player Course (D&D4E NPC) struck my brain like a psionic blast, and here we are.

The NPC will be a basic training course for those first-time D&D players, guided with help from the D&D "Red Box" Starter Set (2010 edition).

The NPC will be broadcast live (and possibly recorded for posterity) on my TwitchTV channel, along with the multitude of other D&D streams, to help spread the joys of adventure with the world. Roll20 will be the virtual tabletop we will gather 'round.

The NPC is scheduled to begin on 1 Jan 2014, with 4 players I select from those voicing their interest. More details are still being carefully pondered, to be posted here when decisions are made.

Here's a look at the NPC Outline as I have it currently.

Course Requirements

1. Info Packet

2. Roll20 (http://roll20.net/)

3. TwitchTV account

INTRO

1. What is D&D?

2. History of D&D

3. Components of D&D

4. Info Packet

PART 1: Goblin Attack!

1. Character Creation

2. Action Types

3. Abilities and Skills

4. Defenses

5. Hit Points

6. Powers and Feats

7. Move Action

PART 2: Tracking the Goblins

1. Experience Points

2. Healing

3. Alignment

4. Ability and Skills

5. Equipment

6. Feats

7. Languages

PART 3: The Twisting Halls

1. Combat Turns & Rounds

2. Triggered Actions

3. Action Points

4. Movement

5. Attacks

6. Conditions

7. Saving Throws

8. Hit Points & Healing

9. Dying & Death

10. Rest & Recovery

I almost have the first 4 players identified for the inaugural run, but in case Life happens to one or more of them in between now and 1 Jan, I'm willing to add a few more names into the hat.

If you have never played D&D, or D&D4E, and are interested in attending the first (or subsequent) D&D4E NPC, please send an email to RoleplayingDungeonMaster at gmail, with "D&D4E NPC" in the Subject line, and include your TwitchTV name in the body. 

Feel free to connect with me at any of my RPDM social places to stay informed about the NPC and all other D&D info I roll initiative for. 

Let's roll 'em!

The Initiates, Session 1

My Pathfinder group got together again for our usual Saturday session yesterday, as we started a new campaign with a new set of characters. Introducing: The Initiates!

L-R: Diomedes (Fighter), Siel (Monk), Dergan (Cleric), Brewl (Barbarian)

Close up of Siel, Grey Elf Monk. Proficient in Alchemy, Herbalism, Healing, and martial arts. 

We started off as initiates in service to The Pathfinder Society, with our area of operation located on the Isle of Kortos, centered on a sub-lodge in Absalom. 

Adril Hestrom, our handler, has been giving us individual missions for the past three years, many which have primarily been tests of our respective class skills. When we were each separately given this latest mission, we each had a feeling that this one was different. And so it is.

We were tasked with going to the Soggy Piper bar in the slums known as The Puddles, and meet with other initiates. We arrived in turns, made our brief introductions to each other, then began to sort out this mysterious mission.

A perceptive scan of the bar patrons showed one of the barmaids (not serving our table) paying a bit more attention to us than anyone else. Diomedes approached her and began an inquiry, finding out she had a message scroll meant for us, one that had been unsealed and poorly resealed. The scroll read, "You are to meet with Yargos Gill for transfer of a valuable tome. He should be along shortly."

After some coercion by our very handsome barbarian, barmaid told us that Yargos and his pals were in the Soggy Piper a couple hours ago, but got into a ruckus with a group of burly men, who took him away, possibly to a place called Tossman's Point. We four Initiates quickly set off to Tossman's Point to find Yargos.

The rest of the evening we dealt with admin stuff, including combat test rounds, and a lengthy discussion of intiative as it applies to spellcasters. The adventure is set to resume next Saturday.

The Last Stand of Brenix Johanssen Garibaldi III

Found our priest; rescue attempt underway.

In the midst of combat, something downs our dwarf paladin, starts to carry him off. HELP!

With 16 HP left, I try to take on the vampire demon.

Our cleric is unconscious; paladin and mage are dead. I save against the vamp's enthrall spell. The rogue fails; vamp commands him out of the fight. 

With my last gasp effort, I knock the vamp prone, and do enough damage to cause it to flee. But not before it commands the rogue to attack me.

The rogue fails his save to counter the vamp's command, and attacks me. Crits, with a stab straight through my heart. Brenix Johanssen Garibaldi III is dead.

RPG SceneShots

Dungeon Masters! Game Masters! People who avidly play all other tabletop RPGs! I have and am compiling a new resource for you to use to help you before, during, and after the game creation process. 

RPG SceneShots

I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons since 1980, along with a great many other pen & paper RPGs. During these many years, I've taken a lot of what other people have created for use in my own game adventures. I've taken items and ideas and used them directly as is, or as inspiration to create something similar but in my own fashion, or something totally different. It's high time I give a loud and thunderous 'Thank You' to all those people, and to give something back to this wonderful worldwide community.

RPG SceneShots is officially my first attempt to do this. The idea for it came about from three experiences that I'm glad my mind put close together. 

The first happened as a DM, noticing a lack of art and photos within adventure modules to show the scenes within them. Yes, there was / is often a good paragraph of descriptive text for such scenes that a DM reads to players. But for detail-oriented and inquisitive players, many times this description just wasn't enough, and I found that a separate photo would often be much more help to these players, since they could keep the photo in front of their eyes and better envision their character in the scene.

The second experience came about also while DMing, and working to make use of mobile devices as gaming aids. My first way was to use simple text messaging to relay messages directly to a player, messages that only their character has need to know, such as when they make a successful passive perception check and notice something other players don't. Taking pics with our phones was happening a lot, also, and being shared through social media. That action gave me the idea to use photos in a similar fashion just for my players, as a quick way to show an item, NPC, setting, or a number of other things. As smart phones, notebooks, tablets, and other mobile devices increase in number and use, their use at the gaming table should match.

The third experience happened during my video gaming time. I play a lot of computer games; it's my day job. During my time in these games, I see a great many scenes that I think would make for an excellent setting in a D&D or other tabletop RPG adventure. So, I started taking screenshots to save them and perhaps come back to them for inspiration later on. 

Then, one day, the cells carrying these events around in my brain suddenly bumped into each other, and the idea for SceneShots sparked. And here it is!

Now that it's planted, I aim to have it grow from here. Going beyond the screenshots I personally take, I want to scour the Internet and grab screenshots, wallpapers, and other free photos and art to add to the compilation here. The main thing is to try to keep it categorized to help make finding a pic to use a quick and easy process. 

So, my fellow tabletop RPG players, make use of SceneShots as you will! And if you have questions, comments, concerns, or other consideration for me, do please send 'em. And game on!

Wanted: Roll20 Partner(s)

I have rolled initiative and begun an all-out assault into learning Roll20, a popular virtual tabletop application that is used for playing D&D and many other RPGs. I'm looking for an assistant, someone who is also wanting to learn Roll20 for both DM and player aspects. If you're seriously interested in partnering up with me for this quest, message or email me and let's discuss it. Game on!

Dark Dungeons

A Pathfinder buddy shared this with our group for today's Pathfinder Saturday session. Harken back to the religiously-frightened mass hysteria anti-D&D days with Dark Dungeons.

Dark Dungeons Chick Tract

D&D House Rules: Monstrologist

A Field Guide to Monsters, by John Olander

Monstrologist: A person who studies monstrology.

Monstrology: The study of monsters.

SERIOUSLY! Why isn't this a D&D class already?!

Master of the Monster Knowledge Check, with little to no physical or magical combat skills. 

I would play one.

Maybe I'll write it up.

D&D House Rules: Critical Hits

Critical Hits

Natural 20

"When an attack roll against a target gets a natural 20, the power not only hits the target, but also scores a critical hit if the attack roll result is high enough to hit the target's defense. If the result is too low to hit the defense, the power still hits the target automatically, but without scoring a critical hit." - Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Rules Compendium, pg 216

I recently thought of a possible way to roll crit hits, partly influenced by the Pathfinder rule of rolling a d20 to confirm a crit hit. 

Player rolls a nat20, scoring an auto-hit. Player then rolls another d20 to see if the auto-hit is also a crit hit, according to the following:

d20 roll

1 - 5     No Crit

6-10     Crit hit, d4 / d6 / d8 damage

11-15   Crit hit, d6 / d8 / d10 damage

16 - 20 Crit hit, d8 / d10 / d12 damage

I think this method might speed up play just a twitch, and give the crit hit rule a bit more depth. I've not tested this yet, and as I'm not currently a DM to any campaigns, I have no idea when I may be able to. If you try this method out in a game session, please let me know what you think of it, if it works well, or not.

The Slaying Stone: Tyristys

We entered the hot springs cave home of the suspected dragon, and were promptly greeted by his kobold guards. I (Paen) am sneakin' around in the dark areas looking for a dragon, treasure pile, and other kobolds.

The dragon Tyristys comes up from her hidey-hole. I now know where the treasure pile is.

Sorrow (left) and Anna (right) attempt to parley.

I went down into the dragon's lair and secured the Slaying Stone before the dragon could get to it after she found out what it is. Now she's pissed. Whatever.

Fighter and wizard/cleric keep her busy while I shoot and throw things at her.

Tyristys dead!

Taking the Slaying Stone back to the ones who hired us to get it, we instead find a gaggle of orcs, and take 'em down. Adventure continues later!

The Dungeon Masters

The Dungeon Masters (hulu)

Against the backdrop of crumbling middle-class America, The Dungeon Masters highlights two men and one woman who devote their lives to Dungeons and Dragons, the storied role-playing game, re-imagining the tropes of classic heroic cinema, creating an intimate portrait of minor struggles and triumphs writ large.

Sadly, I think it's just another negatively-skewed point-of-view about D&D players and DMs. I've been playing D&D since 1980; 33 years total. I've played all over America, with people from all over America. I've played in other countries, with people from other countries. NEVER have I ever seen, heard of, or met the 'type' of people portrayed in this documentary. Not denying people like this exist in our D&D world, just that there are many other people who also exist in this world, and they should be given equal attention.

The Player DM

Aside from doing the DM thing, I also get to spend time playing. I currently have three characters in three campaigns: a halfling assassin in a D&D4E campaign, a human fighter in a Pathfinder campaign, and I have just started a dwarf rogue in a heavily-modified D&D Greyhawk campaign.

The D&D4E campaign is played with the same small group of three with whom I also DM. After a solid year of having them play and get comfortable with D&D, I asked if either of them would like to try to DM a session. So, one day I had them both DM a short encounter with the remaining two of us, while I offered up DM tips when asked and needed. One took to being the DM better than the other, liked it, and agreed to doing it more often, giving me breaks from being the sole DM to allow me to get a balanced play experience in.

The Pathfinder and newly-started Greyhawk campaigns are played online with a group spread across the US, and with one player located in Isreal. We use a combination of tools to facilitate the game, including MapTool, PC Gen, and Oovoo. So far, they have worked well for our needs. Not as smooth as all of us sitting around a single table in person would, but we handle the little problems as they arise and get on with our gaming.

Being able to both play and DM is the best way to experience the full spectrum of these RPGs, I believe. It’s balanced, and I think doing one very often allows me insight into how to do things better in the other. And since they are both very fun, and I like to do fun things, I make sure I get (and give) all the fun I can from them.

Let's Game

Greetings! RPDM here, finally getting this blog kicked off.

As I said in my initial post, this blog will be for me to spill out and set structure to the D&D campaigns I'm DMing, along with general other thoughts and items D&D related. I am also launching another (hopefully) important item here, and that is the DM Pics Project. More on that later.

My Campaigns

I currently run two campaigns, and am in the process of creating a third. First campaign is 4E pre-Essentials, involving the official modules H1 Keep on the Shadowfell, H2 Thunderspire Labyrinth, and H3 Pyramid of Shadows. Players are currently about 75% of their way through the first level of the Pyramid of Shadows. These are all set in and around the Nentir Vale.

The second campaign is with Essentials characters, and has the players adventuring in the Chaos Scar setting. I have tweaked and modified a number of items in this setting to get players to a different end game than what is given in the official modules. I've also instituted a couple of house rules that were agreed upon by the players.

The campaign I'm creating from scratch is still without a name, but is best described as the D&D version of The Walking Dead, one of the many TV shows we are all huge fans of. This is being created with the solo player in mind. My group currently only has two players (both female), and we are not always able to coordinate days off to have a full game session. So, I am working on this campaign to be played by one player at a time, and in 3-4 hour chunks. I also want this campaign to be heavily geared toward survival horror, and solo play will help me create sessions that will better convey that, I do hope.

Lastly, I aim to share a lot about the art of roleplaying in D&D, as it is my most loved method of pen-n-paper gaming. I've been writing about the art in PC gaming (MMORPGs) for many years, and credit D&D and many other tabletop games with manifesting and honing that skill for me. So I figured it's about time I get to writing about it where it started for me. I hope to help my fellow DMs and players with some excellent ideas that they can work into their campaigns, as so many of them have helped me likewise.

Roll 'em!